Cherry Pop
by LadyRandz
Summary: My first Glee Fic    What's up with Mike? And why's Becky so quiet?
1. Beautiful Day

**AN:** Hey, this is my first Glee fic, and second ever fic. I lost inspiration on my other story, but will get back to it, cos I wanna see how that one pans out too. Anyways, I wrote a Michel/Cherry ( I love how both their names just mesh amazingly!) cos I don't see nearly enough of them, and I just love the idea of them two as a couple, although I said the same about Puckleberry (I'm indecisive, I know). My works are unBeta'd, but I'm not averse to having one, so feel free to let me know if you're up for it. An awesome writer on this site once said, "Reviews are love." And I totally agree. Enjoy :D

* * *

She walked through the doors with a determined look on her face, but everyone could tell she wasn't there. She strode confidently to her locker, as confident as a person of her standing could, perhaps even more. Everyone supposed she was egotistical, loud, and selfish, but he knew better. Rachel Berry was a star in the making, and he swore he'd be there when the world finally discovered that. She was talented, lively, and generous, but woe betide anyone who could look at her and see her for what she was without belittling the bite sized starlet.

As she gathered her books for the next class, she gritted her teeth in preparation for the hockey player and the purple coloured drink she spotted in his hand. She clamped her eyes shut and waited for the icy cold torture to land, and it did, but as she opened her eyes and saw that it wasn't intended for her after all.

"Way to go, M&Ms. Maybe next time you fairies prance about onstage all faggy, you could maybe win something." She heard Karofsky sneer as the rest of the team sniggered by. She turned and saw the victims of the childish onslaught, her heart breaking when she noticed that it was the dancing duo of her team. She grabbed her supplies and hurried towards them, grabbing their hands and dragging them to the boys washroom without a second thought or a backwards glance.

Both boys were puzzled as to the turn of events, from the slushy attack to Berry cyclone, not noticing that Rachel Berry, supposed diva, drama queen, and super-gleek extraordinaire was leading them to the washroom, after the warning bell sounded.

As she pushed them onto a chair each and told them to take off their shirts while she fumbled in her bag, they realised what she was doing. Mike obediently took his off, over the sink, carefully so as not to let it get anywhere further, whilst Matt stared at her, worriedly.

"Uh, Rachel are you sure you realise what you just did?" He asked hesitantly, unsure that the Queen Gleek was aware of what she was doing.

"Relax Matt, I'm not interested in checking you out, I just want to get the wet off you as quickly as possible, so it doesn't seep through further," she explained as she walked towards Mike with a towel and hairbrush. She stopped to lick a little of the sticky liquid off his cheek, "Mmm, grape. My favourite!" She giggled as Mike grinned at her. She turned on the tap and wiped and washed the dancer as he mock-whined. "Yeah. Too bad they don't get my favourite, Cherry Berry."

Matt watched this with confusion. Mike and Rachel? Since when? How come he heard none of this? Wasn't Rachel with Finn? More questions raced through his mind, but he was brought back to reality by the shock of the coldness seeping down his neck. "Hey, no fair helping the boyfriend first. I'm freezing and clueless here!"

This stopped the couple's flirtatious exchange as Rachel blushed and rushed over to help the shivering jock. "M-m-Mike's not my-" She stuttered, just as Mike sniggered, "Jealous much, Matt?", which caused Rachel to blush further. She fumbled about with Matt then declared that she was done, but since their shirts got soaked they might want to change those, and if they'd like, she could fetch them from their lockers. As soon as Matt told her his combination, she sprinted off, and he wondered why she didn't wait to hear Mike's.

She got back soon, and a little out of breath and handed him two sweatshirts, one which he passed to Mike. He sniffed at the sweatshirt and furrowed his brow. "Uh, this doesn't smell-" He stared as Mike threw the other sweatshirt at his head as he grabbed the sweet-smelling garment and tugged into it. "Thanks for washing it Rach," the other jock all but sighed into the sweatshirt. She blushed and giggled , "It was the least I could do since you lent it to me."

She waited outside the washroom patiently, and flashed them a wide smile when they got out. "You guys feeling better?" She chirped as they caught sight of her.

"Yeah. Thanks Rach. I never thought it would suck so much to get slushied. Now I know why it's kind of a big deal for you that it ends." Matt said. He never thought much of the act, always thinking it was pointless and a waste, but now that he experienced it first hand, he knew it wasn't just humiliating to the victim, it hurt too.

"Thank you Cherry Pop. Sorry you're late for class though, I know how much that bugs you." Mike said, pecking her cheek and hugging her as he steered her to her locker. She blushed further and ducked her head. "it's ok, I don't really do anything in homeroom, I just plan our performances for glee and watch Finn usually, but now both of those are over, I just scribble into my Berry-pad." She ranted as she stopped by her locker and sighed, with a sad look in her eye. Mike winced and hugged her once more then headed back to his locker when she called out. "I'll see you later then! Or not. Um, I'll see you in class for sure I guess, Michael." She grabbed her books then headed down to her AP Math class.

"Dude,since when have you and Rachel Berry been together? And why am I just finding out now?" Matt burst out, unable to rein in his curiosity for much longer.

"Since not really. She just got over her thing with Finn, or she's getting there, and I refuse to step in until she's better. I refuse to be her rebound guy. That girl's kids are going to call me daddy, and my mom's going to come over on the holidays and drive her crazy" He gushed out proudly.

"Woah. The Changster's fallen, and he's fallen hard." Matt teases in a commentator impersonation.

"Yeah, I have, I guess." He sighs. Matt's jaw drops.

"Dude, you're not even going to deny it?"

"What's the point? And why would I? Have you met Rachel Berry? The girl's like sin on legs, and yet a veritable angel! Plus, anyone who can match the Changster on the dancefloor is mos def worthy. You should check out her krumping. SICK!" He slams his locker shut and runs to his class, hoping to catch up with Rachel before the turd-bucket Jacob snagged the seat next to her, leaving a slack-jawed Matt behind.

At lunch time Rachel went into the cafeteria to grab herself an apple, cursing herself for forgetting to grab her packed lunch again. She got in line behind a bunch of Cheerios and smiled at them, noticing Brittany giggling at something one of the dimmer girls said. The girls just rolled their eyes at her and shrugged.

"Hey beautiful!" She heard someone yell in her direction, but she ignored it, or tried to, as her smile faltered at the girls' cold treatment. She grabbed her apple and paid for it, walking towards an empty table in the back corner.

"Hi Rachel!" She turned around to see Brittany beaming at her, with Becky by her side, smiling broadly at her and waving. Becky whispered something in her ear then adjusted her glasses, which Brittany responded to with a giggle. "No, I don't think she'll mind, Becky. Go ahead." And she gently nudged the girl towards Rachel. Becky approached her shyly and hugged her with a whispered, "Hi Ray-ray." To which Rachel could respond with a smile and, "Hello Rebecca. Hello Brittany," before her features contorted once more into a stance of weary confusion.

"Hey Cherry Pop!" "Hey Rachel."

She turned around and noticed Mike, then Matt, sliding into seats on the table she was about to sit on. "Hello Michael! Hello Matthew." She replied, sitting down, a little more cheerful. "Would you girls like to join us?" She asked nervously, knowing they'd never sit near her if the entire cafeteria had cooties.

"Yes, thank you Ray-ray!" Brittany bounced into the seat beside Matt, tugging Becky to follow suit. All Rachel could think to do was stare with her mouth open. "Careful, Diva, you could catch flies with that open like that," Santana smirked, appearing out of nowhere with a banana in one hand, and a bottle of water, mirroring her own lunch. Rachel quickly shut her mouth and sighed, awaiting the verbal lashing the new head cheerio was about to give her. Instead, Santana sat next to her on the bench, nudging her. "Budge over. Just cos I'm a cheerio don't mean I'm a stick, you know." she drawled. "You sure eat like one" Mike sniggered.

"Yea, so does Ray-ray, how come she gets no flak for it?" She retorted hotly. "I just forgot to pack my lunch today, and this caf does not supply nearly enough vegetarian options. Even the salad has bacon in it." She peeled her banana viciously and scowled, taking an angry bite out of it.

Rachel looked at her surprised, and she couldn't help but ask, "You're vegetarian?" but with the way Brittany looked at her worriedly, she instantly wished she hadn't. Santana just shrugged though. "Yes, since I was like 13. I had this pet turkey, like, 5 weeks before Thanksgiving, Marina, and you can guess what happened." she took a swig of her water then turned to Rachel, with apprehension.

"Um, Rachel, I'm sorry for asking you this, especially with our history and all, but I wanted only the best for this, cos she only deserves to have the best if we're going to do this to her. Anyways, coach is being a total bitch to Becky over here, and we all know it's just Sue being Sue, but Becks deserves better. So we figured if we could get a replacement for her for the competitions, while she does her jump rope routine as our front girl, we'd be covered. It's either that, or we coach her to our level, which I don't really know how to do, nor have we the time. And I love Becky too much to subject her to Sue overtime." She rambled quickly then sat there looking at Rachel with a hopeful look, her eyes pleading.

"You're asking me to join the Cheerios?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Please?"

"No." Rachel said firmly. "I'm sorry, but although I do admire your work and dedication, and you girls do enjoy the popularity a girl like me stereotypically crave, I have no desire whatsoever to become a Cheerio. Again I apologize, especially if this offends you, but to borrow from your vernacular, but the Cheerios are kind of bitchy." She shrugged.

Santana laughed. "Yeah, we kind of are. I guess that's another thing I should work on. Well, I'm sor-"

"I would love to help Rebecca though. I am sure that with my help, she'll be on par with the rest of you girls in no time." Rachel beamed at Becky, who was looking at everyone's faces excitedly.

Brittany launched herself across the table to hug Rachel, scattering what little food there was on the table, since Matt and Mike pretty much obliterated their trays. Rachel just giggled at the blonde's actions, and returned the hug.

"Hey Cherry Pop, since you and Santana didn't get much of a lunch here, wanna blow class and jet over to Naturally Joe's? The Matt Pack's ready to go too." Mike said quickly, blushing.

"Thank you Michael, I would love that, although you might wanna ask Santana too."

"Naturally Joe's?" was all the Latina said as she followed them out.

"Who's going with who?" Matt asked as he led them into the car park.

"We're taking Rachel's car, right Cherry Pop?" Mike hugged her, and grinned at her, then pulled on a pleading puppy dog face. She giggled at him, "Yes Mike, we can take my car. And yes, you can drive. But I call Shotgun, sorry Matt." Matt groaned, until he caught sight of her car.

"A Hummer, H1, custom build, paint, and wheels! SICK!" He all but flew to the car. Becky and Santana walked towards the car, laughing at Matt's outburst, but Brittany squealed. "Oh my God, Rachel! Do we really get to ride in an open top car? Can I please sit in the back? I promise not to jump around!" She grabbed hold of Rachel's hand and pleaded fervently, Rachel couldn't help but hug her.

"Sure Brittany, I don't see why not. Just make sure to wear your seat belt, please." She replied as Brittany bounced over to join Matt. Rachel sighed as she buckled up in her seat. This was truly a beautiful day, even if she was expecting to wake up anytime now.

* * *

The song for this chapter: Beautiful Day by Gym Class Heroes.


	2. Human Nature

**AN: **Dudes! Thank you so much for reading/reviewing so quickly! Once again, reviews are like writer's candy. The more I get, the happier I am, the faster I write.

**AN 2: **I don't like this chapter very much, it's more of a filler/explanation chapter more than anything, but I guess it's important otherwise I wouldn't know where it's going.

I will try to make it up to you, cos you're just my kind of awesome.

* * *

Human Nature – Toro y Moi (Michael Jackson cover)

"So, not like I don't appreciate all this, but you guys, I really need an explanation if I'm to stop wondering when this dream will end." Rachel said over a mouthful of vegan taco. Santana glared at her over hers, and said, "Look, Rachel, I knew this would come, but can you please wait until I'm done devouring this orgasmic food? How long has this place been open and I haven't known about it?" She demanded incoherently. Brittany giggled at this, and Becky chastised her for her 'poor table manners'.

"Well, Quinn established that you were totally _persona non grata_ since like, day one of freshman year, and we all knew she was going to be head cheerleader cos she was the captain in junior high, and her family's old money and stuff, so we followed her blindly." "I think she was just jealous cos Finn smiled at you." Brittany interrupted. "Gee, Brit, thanks for cutting in, I was so not done there." Santana glared.

"I'm sorry for my interruption, but Finn? Smiled at me in freshman year?" Rachel was just looking back and forth between the two, puzzled.

"You lent him a pencil cos golden boy forgot to bring his bag," Santana explained exasperatedly. "Anyways, Quinn and I were supposedly BFFs since 7th grade, cos I was the 'prettiest', while she was the richest, although Brit and I were practically raised together. We were co-captains of the team in the 8th grade, but she still acted superior to me, but I liked her enough to let her get away with it. Not like I cared for the power anyways. It was just a lot of fun for me and Brit, so we stuck with it. Not like any of that mattered when we got here though. One look at Finn, and the Ice Queen was born." She shuddered.

Brittany hugged her best friend and smiled sadly at Rachel. "She was totally like, really mean, until Finn asked her out, but even then she only got, like boy, I mean, man- what?"

"Manipulative. Bitch would only care for her boo and her base, nothing else. By then, we'd become sheep, and I guess I didn't really care anymore, so I became her bitch. Poor Brit could only go along with it so much, until she broke down. That's when Becky saved her. Angel over there came along and just hugged her, and asked her why was the pretty cheerleader crying. That right there reminded us why we did it. To show people that we care, and that they should too. A cheerleader leads them, but ultimately, we remind people to keep on cheering too."

Rachel smiled at Becky, who was hugging Brittany and nattering on happily. "Um, that's um... I don't know what to say. But that's so not an explanation, I'm sorry, I'm still confused."

"How about this? Queen Bitch was dethroned, there was chaos, in the Cheerio world, school, and Glee. Even Puck dated you! No offence, just that Puck's, well, Puck. Dude's always only in it for the tail. I should know." Santana quickly explained, hoping she didn't hurt the diva. "Basically, the world was changing, and only you stayed the same, besides the Man Wonders right here," she gestured towards Matt and Mike, "You always stood firm for what you believed in, and even when you were being selfish, you were noble. You gotta love a classy bitch!" She grinned. "And, you just proved your awesome by not blowing us off today." She reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Ray."

"You're welcome Santana. Um, I'm sorry this will sound awkward, but I need Captain Obvious here."

"She's saying, she'd love to be your friend, and would be honoured if you considered her a friend of yours. Brittany and Becky too. I'm guessing Matt assumed you'd extend said friendship cos of me, but dude's gotta say that on his own, I don't speak for him." Mike poked

"Totally. Uh, Rachel-" Matt fumbled.

"I would be honoured. All of you. Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me." Rachel gushed. "I just hope you guys can just grant me these two requests."

"Totally!" "What are they?" "No worries, Rachel." "I will not fake date you to please your dads Ray"

Everyone looked at Santana at the last exclamation. "What? Chick's hot, I know, but I got feelings too, and I refuse to be in an emotionless relationship. My kisses are real, so am I." She defended hotly.

Rachel squeezed her hand this time, and smiled at her. "No Santana, you do deserve a real relationship, and although my dads are gay, I'm only interested in boys. Men," she corrected, glancing at Mike and blushing. "No, I mean, firstly, don't ask about what happened between Finn and myself. Secondly, I hope you can be patient with me and refer to Captain Obvious regularly, as I find myself at a loss when people attempt vagueness. My dads have always encouraged me to be open and honest, so I never sought to understand double entendres and the like. I guess that's part of why I can't really portray mystery convincingly." She shrugged.

"But you're the star in my world!" Mike teased, sticking his tongue out at her and hugging her.


	3. Gomenasai

**AN: **I know I won't get much opportunity to do this in the coming few hours, and I'm impatient, so I'm posting this so soon after the second chapter. Actually, it's also a peace offering for the second chapter, the one that to me, sucked lollipops. Anyways, (YES, I AM HOPING THIS MAKES YOU REVIEW MORE, is it working?) I hope you enjoy n.n

**Disclaimer: **Uh, this goes for previous chapters too... All I own is my sanity. And even that is debatable.

* * *

Gomenasai – t.A.T.u

"Hello Michael!" Rachel waved at the boy walking towards her porch. He smiled at her and waved back. "Hi Rach. How are you doing?"

"Quite well thank you. Class is cancelled for today, I have the evening free today, for once. It's strangely freeing, and yet I'm a bit disappointed. I've got nothing to do, I'm caught up on my homework until next month and I've finished everything else I had scheduled for today besides my MySpace video, so I'm procrastinating for once. Why do people do that? It's a horrid feeling, knowing you have something to do and putting it off. It's hard work, not doing it." She ranted nervously. She looked up at him and smiled, "How are you Michael?"

He chuckled and jumped towards her. "I know about the class, I go to the same studio. The roof collapsed, that building's been needing repair for a while. Hopefully now they'll fix it all up right. It'll cost quite a bit though, I hope they can afford it. Anyways, I just came to see if you wanted to hang out. I can help you with your video too if you'd like," he added shyly.

"Thank you so much! We can do it now and we'll have the rest of the evening free. My curfew's 11:30 on school nights, since I finish my school work early, and my dad's know I'm an insomniac, so it doesn't matter when I go to bed." She rambled, jumping up and dragging him towards the door.

"How long have you had insomnia?" Mike asked worriedly.

"Um, since like, last year, after Halloween. Maybe someone's costume scared me awake." Rachel giggled nervously. Mike smiled back sadly, knowing it was the week that Puck first slushied her that she began to lose sleep.

"Come on, let's get to work on that, so we can play." Mike waggled his brows mock-suggestively. Rachel giggled sincerely at this. "Oh, let it be known that Mike, unlike Jack, is most definitely not a dull boy!" She nudged open her door, gesturing at him to go on ahead.

"I'll get you something to snack on, and inform Daddy about our evening's tentative plans." Then she scurried down the stairs. Mike walked towards her equipment and began to set it up, all the while taking mental notes. He found some sheets on her desk, and noticed that although they didn't look new, they were meticulously kept. So was the rest of her desk, including her stationery, everything in it's place. Stapler, ruler, box cutter, tape, first aid kit. _First Aid Kit? Box cutter? Those two are two close together for my comfort. I better give her time though, she probably has an explanation, and she might get defensive if I ask right now._

Rachel padded through the room and dragged her keyboard and stand out, then walked towards Mike. "Oh, the the third stack will have your notes. I'm ready when you are. Thank you again Michael." She said nervously. "I really appreciate this." She bounced over to her stool and sat, waiting patiently.

Mike walked over to his position on the keyboard and began to play. Rachel took a deep breath, then began to sing

**What I thought wasn't mine,**

**In the light, **

**Wasn't one of a kind,**

**A precious pearl**

**When I wanted to cry,**

**I couldn't cos I **

**Wasn't allowed**

**Gomenasai,**

**For everything**

**Gomenasai,**

**I know I let you down.**

**Gomenasai to the end,**

**I never needed a friend **

**like I do now**

**What I thought wasn't all so innocent,**

**Was a delicate doll, of porcelain**

**When I wanted to call you, and ask you for help, **

**I stopped myself!**

**Gomenasai, **

**For everything**

**Gomenasai, **

**I know I let you down**

**Gomenasai to the end,**

**I never needed a friend**

**like I do now**

She wiped away at tears during the instrumental break, and Mike turned off the camera, but continued to play, and and began to sing, his gaze never leaving hers.

_**What I thought was a dream, **_

_**A mirage,**_

_**was as real as it seemed, **_

_**a privilege.**_

_**When I wanted to tell you, I made a mistake,**_

_**I walked away.**_

_**Gomenasai, **_

_**For everything**_

He stopped playing and approached Rachel slowly

_**Gomenasai**_

_**Gomenasai**_

He held her hands and kneeled in front of her.

_**Gomenasai,**_

_**I never needed a friend,**_

_**Like I do now**_

"Gomenasai Rachel. I'm sorry you ever thought you were alone. I'm sorry I walked away. I'm sorry you ever hurt. I'm sorry Cherry Pop." Mike kissed her hands softly, then her cheek, and forehead, then pulled her into a tight hug, caressing her back softly as she sobbed into his embrace. He sat down on her bed with her in his arms, while she slowly calmed down and her sobs turned to murmurs then subsided completely. After a while when he noticed she wasn't moving at all, he glanced at the tiny girl in his arms and smiled at her sleeping face. He leaned into the bed to settle her on the pillows, but she refused to let go of him, her brow creasing in worry when he attempted to move away, clutching at him harder. He sighed, and fumbled about her nightstand for her phone, muttering a prayer of thanks for its proximity. He sent a text and waited patiently while her father came upstairs.

"I'm sorry sir, but she fell asleep while I was hugging her, she must be tired after crying so hard. She 's not letting go of my shirt though, I was wondering what I should do here." Mike explained nervously.

"Call me Sam, sir is so formal. Unless you get your kicks like that." Rachel's Daddy winked. "Rachel hasn't been sleeping so well for a while now, I'm sorry I'm going to have to hold you hostage if you got her to fall asleep. I'll contact your mother and let her know if you'd like, I'm sure once I explain it to her she'll be willing to let you stay here for the night."

Mike nodded dumbly and watched as Mr. Berry turned off the lights and shut the door behind him, leaving only the moon to illuminate the dark room.


	4. Somebody's Me

**AN:** You guys are beyond a doubt just awesome. I wish I could write faster (Actually I'm pushing 3 chapters a night, I think I write fast enough) but I've got a shaky connection, so I can't publish all that often, for now. If I disappear for a while, I apologise profusely, but I will keep writing, so that when I can publish, I can put all of them out just so I can make up for lost time.

**AN 2: **I actually wrote this while I was supposed to be asleep, so (A) I was distracted, and (B) sleepy, so please forgive me for any minor errors/disappointments you encounter. Also, I'm completely unfamiliar with the American (Even Canadian, basically any western) School system, and the day's organisation on a typical Lima school day. So I'm sorry if it seems dumb, but I plead ignorance.

**Disclaimer: **I barely own my own clothes, I borrow most of those from my sister.

**_Enjoy!_**

**_And remember, feeding the writers makes them write faster.  
_****_Reviews = Chicken Soup for this writer_**

* * *

Somebody's Me

"Ok guys, we're out of competition for the year, but I think we should keep practising for next year. Now, I won't pair you off into groups just yet, so don't start groaning and moaning, I've got an idea for a trust experiment I want to try out first." Will Schuester looked at each of the performers in turn, silently daring any of them to protest. "Alright. Each of you will get a customized assignment sheet where I've assigned your groups for each project. If you have complaints, I suggest you either work them out, or put them in the complaint bin." He pointed at the waste basket at the door.

"Sir, that's a garbage bin." Mercedes pointed out lamely.

"Exactly. Because that's what your complaints have become. Garbage." he rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Now, I believe some of you have prepared something you wanted to share? Well, go right ahead." He gestured towards the floor, and sat down.

Tina came forward confidently, gesturing at Rachel towards the stool near the opposing wall, and picking up a little tambourine on her way to the mic. Santana walked over to the drum kit as Rachel situated herself with the guitar and began to strum. Tina began to shake the tambourine in time to the guitar, and when Santana beat the cymbal she took it as her cue and started to sing,

**No need to translate, cos my eyes give me away**

**even though my lips don't say...**

**Should be so easy, but my head gets in the way,**

**of the things I wanna tell you...**

**You're the most**

**perfect yet, **

**most definitely that I've met **

**And I wonder, **

**if you notice how I feel...**

**about you...**

**(_I hope you know)_**

**Cos I have so much love, for you**

**Do with it what you will**

**And I have nothing more,**

**to prove**

**Say to me what you will...**

**(_Say it again)_**

**Not enough lovers,**

**In life to go around,**

**But there's you and there's me if we don't start it out.**

**(_mmmm)_**

**It's not hard to let go**

**enough to let me in**

Tina walked towards Artie and kneeled in front of him.**  
**

**if it's meant to be it can only be good...**

She held his hands and fit her fingers around his.**  
**

**You're the most perfect fit**

**(_Most definitely that I met)_**

Tina kissed Artie's nose then got up, looking at him as she walked backwards towards the mic.**_  
_**

**And I hope that you feel the same way too**

**(_the same way too...)_**

**About me**

**(_About her)_**

**Just let me know!**

**(_cos)_**

**I got so much love for you**

_**(do with it what you will)**_

**And I have nothing more to prove,**

**Say to me what you will**

**(_Say)_**

**Say it again**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**Can you take it from me?**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**If I give, can you receive?**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**Oh woah!**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**I'm reaching out**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**Giving everything**

**(_Can you take it?)_**

**I give you my heart, give you my soul, giving it all..**

**(_cos)_**

**I got so much love for you,**

**(_So much love!)_**

**Do with it what you will**

_**(Go ahead)**_

**And I have nothing more to prove, **

**Say to me what you will, **

**Say it,**

**Say it,**

**Say it again...**

Artie stared at Tina with tears in his eyes, put his hand on hers, and whispered, "I love you too." and kissed her. Everyone clapped for the couple, with Puck and Matt wolfwhistling, and Mercedes and Kurt gushing their congratulations to Tina, while Santana played a drum solo as a backdrop to the happy occasion.

Brittany cleared her throat and everyone settled down as she approached the stand, and blushed as Matt came on stage beside her. She smiled at everyone and explained, "This is for all of you. I just wanted to say thank you for all of you being who you are, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to hold you all down."

Everyone laughed at this but she glared at them and signalled for Matt to begin. At the end of their performance of and Fat Joe's Hold you down, everyone jumped forward to hug the blonde cheerleader, with Finn saying he was happy he had so many people to hold him down too.

Mike shuffled away from the group and tapped the mic, speaking into it, "Uh, guys, could you like, shut up, I kinda got something to say." And he began strumming.

**You.**

**Do you remember me?**

**Like I remember you?**

**Do you spend your life going back in your mind to that time?**

**Cos I**

**I walked the streets alone**

**I hate being on my own**

**And everyone can see that**

**I really fell, and I'm going through hell**

**Thinking about you with somebody else**

**Somebody wants you, **

**Somebody needs you,**

**Somebody dreams about you every single night.**

**Somebody can't breathe, without you it's lonely**

**and somebody hopes that one day you'll see**

**That somebody's me**

**You will always be in my life, **

**Even if I'm not in your life**

**Cos you'll live in my memories**

**You**

**When you remember me**

**And before you set me free**

**Listen please**

**Somebody wants you, **

**Somebody needs you,**

**Somebody dreams about you every single night.**

**Somebody can't breathe, without you it's lonely**

**and somebody hopes that one day you'll see**

**That somebody's me**

**That somebody's me**

**That somebody's me**

**That somebody's me**

Rachel just looked at him with wide eyes and stepped forward to him, but didn't say a word and grabbed the guitar as she began to sing.

**I like to think I know how to look out for myself**

**I got ways and means to filter wrong guys out**

Puck smirked at this

**When the BS meter is slamming into the red**

**I just walk away cos I'm not interested**

She looked down at this point

**And then I met a boy who didn't hit on me.**

**I did not suspect reverse psychology**

**You knew if you'd knocked, I wouldn't have let you in.**

She looked up at Mike and locked gazes with him, smiling

**How'd you get the code to my security system?**

**I think some Tricky Angel knocked me on the head**

**Made me look at you different,**

**Made me see some sense**

**Tricky Angel got me falling, without my consent**

**And I'm so glad he did cos I didn't know**

**You were heaven sent**

**I was writing you off, making a huge mistake**

**His intervention rescued us from fate**

**I don't know how, but somehow you got me down**

**You just broke into me and ignored that it wasn't allowed**

**I think some Tricky Angel knocked me on the head**

**Made me look at you different,**

**Made me see some sense**

**Tricky Angel got me falling, without my consent**

**And I'm so glad he did cos I didn't know**

**You were heaven sent**

**Under the radar, you slipped into my heart**

**You gave me a taste for what I didn't know that I wanted**

**When I wasn't looking, you did what I least expected**

**to do while I was sleeping, Well I'm wide awake now  
**

**I think some Tricky Angel knocked me on the head**

**Made me look at you different,**

**Made me see some sense**

**Tricky Angel got me falling, without my consent**

**And I'm so glad he did cos I didn't know**

**You were heaven sent**

**Tricky Angel got me falling**

**And I'm so glad he did**

Mike came forward and hugged Rachel, kissing her head and murmuring into her hair, "I'm glad too."

Matt, Brittany, Santana, Artie and Kurt clapped loudly, while Tina hugged Rachel and Puck shook hands with Mike. Quinn smiled sadly at the group while Finn only looked confusedly around the room. Mr. Schuester clapped and cleared his throat, "That was great, Rachel, Mike, Brittany, Matt and Tina. I'm very impressed with your performances and am delighted you managed to capture the essence of glee club, to express your very thoughts and emotions through song. Well, I'll see you guys next week, have a great weekend everyone." He passed out their sheets and waved them off.

* * *

**PS: **I sort of edit the songs 'cos I don't have the proper lyrics so I pretty much guess some of the time, and some of the verses just don't mesh with the emotion.

**Bold: Main performer**

**_Bold Italics: Back up vocals_**

Tina's song : Say it again - Natasha Bedingfield

Mike's song: Somebody's Me - Enrique Iglesias

Rachel's song: Tricky Angel - Natasha Bedingfield


	5. Anyone Else But You

**AN: **I have to say, I'm kind of lost right now. I was writing chapter 5, and it took me 3 tries to determine whether or not I COULD do a flashback. I'm sorry, it looks like we won't know what happened with Finn for a bit, but I'm working on it.

Also, I'm not really sure where Puck fits into the story just yet, I don't want to rush it forward and get stuck when it stops making sense to me. Sorry to all you Puckleberry friendship fans.

_**AP: AHHHH... I've been discovered!**_

**the usual disclaimers, and I hope you enjoy!**

*****_runs and hides*****_**  
**

* * *

Anyone else but you - The Moldy Peaches

Mike hung back while Rachel gathered her things, putting her guitars in their cases and putting her sheets in her folder. He took the guitars from her and packed them, and she smiled gratefully as she picked up her jacket and rolled her bag out of the room, Mike following closely.

"Thank you Michael, for everything. For once, words, and even songs, fail me, I cannot begin to properly express my gratitude for all you've done for me, all that you mean to me." she stopped by her locker, and transferred her things into her bag. "But I'll try." She blushed.

Mike shouldered the guitars on each shoulder and reached forward to brush his fingertips against her cheek. "Rachel, you have no idea how happy you've made me by just agreeing to give me a chance. If you'll let me, I'll spend my entire life showing you how grateful I am to you."

"Ok, Now you're being melodramatic." Rachel laughed. Mike grinned, "Maybe I am, but if anyone is worth it, you are. And I'm dead serious. But, uh, do you think I could steal a ride?" he rubbed at his neck.

"Sure! May I ask though, what happened to your original ride? I'm just curious, I hope your car didn't die on you or something."

"I made Matt pick me up this morning, and told him not to wait for me, I wanted to have an excuse for asking you to drop me off." Mike flashed Rachel a bright smile. Rachel laughed and pecked him on the cheek.

"You didn't need an excuse, although I feel so special that you went through the trouble." She smiled at him and opened the trunk of her BMW M6 convertible, depositing her bags into the trunk, then going over to the passenger seat of the car. Mike put in the guitars and his bag and walked over to the passenger side and noticing her buckling herself into the seat, closed her door and whooped.

"Thank you so much Rach, you like, really rock!" He hugged her as he sat in the driver's seat.

"I'm glad Brittany's rubbed off so much on you,"Rachel giggled. "Else I'd have thought you only wanted me for my awesome cars."

Mike started the car then turned to Rachel with a serious look on his face. "Cherry Pop, I like, perhaps even love, you for you, who you are, what makes Rachel Berry, my Cherry Poppin' Rachel Berry. Your awesome cars just add to your swagger." He kissed her lightly on her nose then faced forward and drove off.

"What are your plans for today?" Mike asked after a short silence. He hated not hearing her voice, and contrary to popular belief, Rachel Berry did not ramble on incessantly, and when she had nothing to say, she would not say anything.

"I'm having Rebecca over so I can coach her through her cheer routine, and Brittany and Santana are coming over to help and hang out. You're welcome to stay if you'd like." She blushed and stared at the road, stammering. "Actually, my dad's are going away for a bit and they gave me permission to have a few friends over whenever I'd like, so I don't get lonely. Daddy specifically gave me permission to have one guy friend sleep over whenever he liked, since he spoke to said 'guy friend's' mother. If he winked at me I would have screamed, it was so awkward. As it was Dad was fumbling about shocked Daddy would even suggest you sleep over," Rachel gestured as she spoke, even burying her face in her hands and shaking her head out of embarrassment. She looked up at him and frowned, "We'll have to have a talk before that happens though, if you'd like that privilege." she said soberly, then smiled and hopped in her seat excitedly. "Oh, we can have a slumber party tonight, I'm so excited. I've never had one before, you know. Dad always let me, but I never really had anyone want to come over." she continued looking straight ahead at the road, not allowing Mike to see the single traitorous tear that threatened to drop.

Mike put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him, kissing the top of her head. Rachel sighed and sat up straight. "And that. You kiss my head, my nose, everywhere but on the lips. Finn, Puck, Jesse all went straight to lip, but you haven't ever. I'm not complaining, just wondering. Calling on Captain Obvious, please," she giggled.

"Well, I don't speak for the rest, but to me, a gentleman does not kiss frivolously. And I didn't want to confuse you or lead you on. You deserve so much more -,"

"You mean you don't really know what you were doing, don't you?" Rachel interrupted.

"That too." Mike laughed. "Don't look so shocked. I've never really been with a girl, I just never cared for that kind of thing. Remember, I'm Chinese. I had to learn at least 3 instruments, Martial arts, be good at sports and be an honour student. By the time I got used to that and the enormous amount of discipline that required, I sort of figured out what was relevant and what wasn't, so I didn't bother pursuing anything I didn't deem worthwhile." he shrugged.

"But I thought you and Brittany dated?" Rachel burst out, unable to believe her ears.

Mike snorted with laughter. "That makes as much sense as me dating Tina." Rachel continued to look confusedly at him. "She's my cousin! Brittany, Tina and I have been together since the cradle. Like, our moms would literally put us in the same cradle to sleep when we were infants. Brittany's mom and Tina's are second cousins or something, but being some of the few Cohens here in Lima, they're pretty close." he explained.

Grabbing her things from the trunk of her car, she walked into her house and left her bags by the door as she went to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water.

"Would you like something to drink?" Rachel offered Mike politely as he walked over to the kitchen and took a seat.

"Yes, please." He smiled at her as she but down a bottle of Cherry soda in front of him. "Thank you." He smiled.

Rachel fidgeted nervously with her hands and giggled. "It's almost 4:30. I suppose the girls will be arriving soon." she bounded out into her backyard and set about to preparing it for company.

The girls spent 2 hours practising and Rachel continuously praised Becky for her efforts, the autistic teen was determined to be the best she could, and astounding everyone with her performance. Brittany and Mike cheered her on while Santana observed her progress.

"Ok, Ray-ray, you're more than capable of working Becks here, but now girl's gotta play," Santana protested. "We're heading over to a party one of the Cheerios is holding at her place, wanna come with?"

"Oh, I was going to ask you girls to sleepover if you'd like, but since you have plans I suppose we could do that another time. Thank you for extending the invitation to me, but I don't really think I'm up to it today." Rachel forced a smile.

"We'll come over tomorrow, first thing! You should have told me earlier though, I would have loved to stay over tonight." Santana pulled the little brunette into her arms in a hug. She whispered in her ear, "get the Changster to stay though, the night is young." She nudged playfully. Rachel blushed in response.

After Brittany and Becky hugged their goodbyes and the girls left, Rachel turned to Mike and sighed.

"Well, there goes my plans for tonight. I suppose we should have that talk then?"

Mike nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her to the living room and nudged her towards the couch. "I think we should both be sitting for this," He said nervously as he sat down. "So?"

Rachel gulped, and twiddled her thumbs, "So?"

"Um, I guess we'll start at the middle. I'm your boyfriend, you're my girlfriend. Agreed?"

"Yes. As such, we have certain expectations of each other, and some rules and boundaries should be established." Rachel ranted, more nervous than ever.

"Uh, yes. Like -"

"We've established the most important. The only thing we've got to cover before you can stay over is obvious, so I'll just say it," She exclaimed in a rushed breath. "I'm a virgin, and quite honestly, I intend to stay that way until I'm married."

Mike grinned happily. "That's awesome, I knew you wouldn't give it up to Jesse, no matter what you told Finn. As I told you before, I wasn't with anyone before you, so that's kind of moot. And I won't pressure you into anything you don't want. Besides, it's kind of hot." he flashed her a naughty smile.

"What is?"

"Having a virgin bride. You have any idea how rare that is?"

Rachel chucked a pillow at him. He laughed and ducked out of the way of the remaining cushions. "so, wanna watch a movie?" he asked, suddenly shy.

"Sure. What would you like to watch?" Rachel plodded over to the TV, and began to push it out of the way. She pushed a button and the wall behind the TV started to roll up, when Mike realized it was just a screen, and behind it there existed the largest personal collection of movies he'd ever laid eyes on. He jumped forward and squealed with excitement. She laughed at the sound. "That was cute. Weird, but cute."

He stuck his tongue out her and looked back at the 'wall'. "Remember what I said about swagger? This just upped that." he grabbed a DVD and passed it to her, telling her to set up, he was getting the snacks. When he returned 10 minutes later with a massive bowl of buttered popcorn, she grinned and set the bowl on the table, allowing him to sit and she climbed onto the couch and snuggled close to him.

They fell asleep before the movie was halfway through, Rachel on Mike's lap, curled into his chest, Mike holding her close to his heart, the movie all but forgotten.


	6. APlea  Leave Before The Lights Come On

**AP(lea)**: HELP!

I've got a bad case of writer's block. I can still write, but I'm not very confident in this chapter, it seems pretty mucky to me. I guess the content is to blame, since I'm so uncomfortable with writing this scenario.

This is my test chapter, may you please tell me if it's worth a finish, or if I should ring it through once more?

* * *

"Good Morning." Rachel smiled, looking up into the face of her human blanket.

"mmm, g'night." Mike murmured sleepily. She giggled and squirmed out of his lap, heading for the bathroom to freshen up, but noticing the early hour, she decided she might as well try to get few more hours' sleep. Climbing back into her boyfriend's embrace, she snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes, smiling as she fell asleep.

Rachel was woken a few hours later buy a slight pressure under her bottom. Opening her eyes, she realized what it was and blushed. She looked up at Mike and discovered him still asleep, a look of lusty pleasure covering his face, his brow sweaty. "Yes, Rachel, my Rachel, my beautiful Rachel, Oh my God! My Rachel angel, yes!" he was grunting, then he shuddered.

Rachel realized what had happened with shock and jumped off him, with a squeal of, "Oh My God, Mike!" then running off to the bathroom and slamming the door, which woke up Mike completely.

_Shit! Was she awake through that? Does she know what happened?_ "Of course she does, you idiot!" he said out loud to himself. He jumped off the couch and went to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Rachel, Cherry Pop, may I please clean up then we can talk about this, please?"

Rachel opened the door and stepped out, blushing and refusing to lift her gaze from the floor. Mike winced and jumped into the bathroom, cleaning himself up thoroughly, contemplating his awkward situation. Poking his head out the door he was hoping she hadn't gone far, and was relieved to see her sitting outside the door, a blank look on her face. "Um, Rach, could you please bring me my gym bag?"

She scurried away and brought back the bag before he registered that she'd gone to get it. "Thank you." he smiled shyly. Mike changed into a pair of baggy shorts and and a black wife beater, grateful he always had a spare set of clothes in his gym bag. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom, ready to face the music, as it may be.

When Santana arrived with Brittany and Becky in tow, it was to a smiling Michael Chang they walked into the kitchen and greeted. Rachel was nowhere in sight, and Mike was busy preparing a feast, humming to himself happily. Santana could just make out parts of 'The One' by Colby O'Donis and smirked. "So, you're here pretty early. Or did you just not leave?" she teased, knowing the Asian would never willingly say the words out loud.

"Where's Rachel?" Becky asked, while Brittany wandered off. The other cheerleader was not into staying in one place too long if no one was paying attention to her, but Becky and Brittany always knew how to find each other, so no one was particularly worried.

"She went shopping and to my place to pick some clothes for me, she insisted she could do that better than making lunch for 5." Mike continued to chop and toss and whatever it was that good cooks do when making a meal for their lovers and their friends.

"Oh. Is she picking your clothes or is your mom going to help her? Maybe your mom will ask why she went to get your clothes, and why didn't you go instead?" Santana was enjoying the look of horror spreading across his face.

"She wanted to speak to my mom! Why did I let her convince me? Why did I let her go on her own? No!" Mike screamed in horror, covering his face.

Becky and Santana laughed at his expense while Rachel entered the kitchen with a confused look on her face. Pecking Mike on the cheek she passed him his bag and looked around the room with a raised eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"Your little chef here didn't realize the reason you fobbed off cooking duties to him, and he's worried you had 'the talk' with mommy dearest." Santana smirked.

"Oh, we did. I had to. After last night, it would have been too awkward not to." Rachel blushed. Mike's face drained of colour and his eyebrows so high up they disappeared into his hairline.

"What? Why?" Mike stammered. He thought they were good, after he explained what had happened and they talked it out.

It turns out, although somewhat terrifying for Rachel, she was totally understanding. It didn't affect their relationship much, but Rachel felt a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment that her boyfriend felt so strongly about her.

"It's just a girl thing. And since I couldn't talk it over with my mom, yours was happy to fill in." Rachel shrugged but Mike knew it was a bittersweet moment. Rachel only wanted a mother figure to show her what being a woman entailed, to look out for her in a way her own fathers couldn't and Mike was glad his own mom stepped in for her.

"Besides, I like it when you cook for me," She winked at Santana, smacking him on the bum as she went off to her backyard, dragging Santana.

"I can see things got serious here, haven't they?" Santana smirked at Rachel, who could only look at the floor and blush in response.

* * *

**AN/Plea: **This is where I get stuck. I don't know if what I've written so far is satisfactory, I need feedback to know if I should go on here or rewrite.

Also, I'm a bit too lazy to individually respond right now, so:

seacat03, BookLover223, StereoSkyline, RavenWolf2089, gleek06216, Twilight Gleek and FREAKTONIGHT, I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

FREAKTONIGHT, and lulubell76, I so would love to stick in a Puckelberry friendship, but I need to figure out how that happens first. Puck and Mike are like the main characters in my fantasies right now, trust me, I NEED HIM in this story. But I need to see it first.

and Kkaty, THANK YOU SO MUCH, your belief in me brings me to borderline tears. And I'm glad I can claim to be a factor into your Cherry fandom. All the authors who convinced me of this awesome pairing are to blame for my story though, I hadn't seen Glee in a while, but reading them it was like I was LIVING the show. RavenWolf2089 and StereoSkyline actually wrote some of my favourites EVER. (*cough "Mikel" *cough* "All I Want is Everything" *cough more*)


	7. The One

**AN: **I think this chapter is a bit more, uh, risque? compared to the rest, I'm not sure if that means the rating should go higher or not. *hides*

I was at an impasse, this chapter was happening over and over in my mind, and although I'm uncomfortable writing it, the characters refused to move on until I wrote this. Writer's block cured, I'm now faced with the insecurity from wondering if this chapter does indeed suck.

Review pretty please with Cherries on top ;)

* * *

"Brittany, Nooooo!" Rachel squealed, jumping behind Mike and using him as her human shield.

"Hey, no fair using your boyfriend as a shield!" Santana pouted. Becky just stealthily moved behind the couple and drenched them.

"Ahh!" Rachel screamed, and Mike sputtered. "What is this stuff anyways?" Mike asked, tasting the sticky fluid.

"Cherry Pop!" Brittany grinned cheerfully. Mike's eyes just glazed over, his jaw hanging a little bit in shock.

Rachel moaned in defeat, whining, "we're covered in cherry soda now. I'll have to wash it out of my hair and these clothes have to go to the wash really quickly otherwise they'll stain. You guys can prepare dinner while Mike and I shower, it's a fitting punishment."

Santana smirked at this while Brittany and Becky huffed. "No fair, it was a fair fight. We can't be punished just cos you're a sore loser." Brittany groused, poking her tongue out at Rachel.

"Well, could you please prepare dinner anyways? I'm not done being lazy just yet." Rachel grinned, tugging off her t-shirt, and peeling off her socks. "Mike, if you could just leave your clothes outside the bathroom, I'll run them through the wash quick." Rachel was cut off as Mike grabbed her and placed her on his lap, struggling to speak. "Girls, how about you order some pizza and invite Matt over? Please?" he begged pathetically, adding on his signature puppy dog look for effect.

Santana just chuckled and dragged out the other two girls, winking at Mike and blowing a kiss at the couple. "Have fun, you love birds."

Rachel, puzzled by the whole exchange, just looked back at her boyfriend and bit her lip, not sure what to say. "Michael, are you ok? You're breathing a little raggedly, and I'm certain that is not nearly normal as I am aware that as both, a singer and dancer, you have heightened breath control. Do you require anything?"

"Rachel, baby, first of all, please remember that I love you." Rachel gasped at this, but he went on. "I don't want to alarm you, or turn you off, but it's a bit hard being a gentleman at this point." she giggled when she got his 'point', but allowed him to continue. "And normally, you're irresistible, but right now, I'm just in a lot of pain, struggling to rein in my desire for you. So although I'd like little else more than to drag you to bed and make love to you until you're numb, I see we only have 2 choices here. The first being that I walk away now, go home and take a cold shower and go to sleep and see you on Monday morning. Or I could take you to the bathroom, and bathe you, and worship the temple that is your body. Of course I don't intend to desecrate said temple, I just wish to innocently visit." He pleaded with such longing, and desire, and just pure, unadulterated adoration that she could only breathe out a whispered "yes".

He scooped her up in his arms almost instantaneously, and kissed her forehead, murmuring into her hair, "thank you so much." then heading for her bedroom. He dropped her on her bed and carefully pulled off her shorts, then her sports top, and her panties, and his breathe caught at the sight of her naked body.

All Rachel could do was blush and look away, clenching and unclenching her fists, fighting the instinct to cover her nudity. Mike put his hands on either side of her face and forced her gaze unto his, kissing her eyes, her nose, stopping short of her lips then he licked his own. "You're beautiful, Rachel Berry, in every way. And I want you to know you never have to hide anything from me. Because I love all of you, flaws and all." To prove his point, he kissed her palms, facing her wrists towards him, and trailing kisses down her forearms. Rachel was silently crying, but she got up and moved further into her bed, forcing him to climb onto it as well.

"Michael Alexander Chang, I love you. I'm going to kiss you now, if you don't mind." then she tugged him by the collar and pressed her lips unto his, revelling in the simple yet intoxicating feeling of just loving. No complications, no shame, no guilt. Just love. She sighed into his lips and parted her own slightly, allowing him access to her mouth. When she noticed that he just followed suit, she recalled him mentioning being inexperienced, then smiled into the kiss. She darted her tongue into his mouth quickly, shyly touching tongue on tongue, her mind reeling. They continued on this way for a few minutes, until he realized that it was her naked waist he was holding on to, and it was his growing arousal she was pressing her pelvis against.

He gasped and jumped off the bed, distancing himself from her as he tried to gain control over himself. "Right then, you need to wash up." he cleared his throat and scratched his neck, looking her straight in the eyes as she gained composure. As much composure as a girl in that position could.

"Yes, I should. You should too, you don't want the sticky residue on you to turn difficult." Rachel's eyes grew wide as her boyfriend scooped her up bridal style and walked into her bathroom, not a hint of lechery staining his features. He carefully placed her in the bathtub and pressing a chaste kiss on her lips, he moved to turn on the faucets and get the soap and washcloth. She bit her lip and her eyes widened, almost tearing up as she realized what he meant to do.

With anyone else, this would have been awkward, and she knew they would never exercise the amount of patience he was. She also knew that with anyone else, she should feel bad for getting naked in front of them after being their girlfriend of only one day, and hadn't even gone on a single date with him. In that moment she realized she'd have hundreds of those with him, and she'd go over to his house as much as he was going to be at hers, so much so that their parents would joke that they were living there already.

She realized it didn't matter how long it took, how many milestones they'd ignore, how many heartbreaks they'd ever been through. She knew that when she got to where she was headed, it was with this man by her side.

As she cried at the epiphany, Mike approached her and furrowed his brow in worry. "What's wrong Cherry Pop? If you don't want me to, I'll stop right now, and leave so you can -" he was cut off by Rachel placing her finger on his lips.

"No, these are happy tears. Nothing's wrong. And it's all your doing. Thank you so much," she explained, smiling through the streaming tears, placing a kiss on his nose, making him grin.

"Anything in my power to provide, I'm always happy to give you." he soaped the washcloth and scrubbed at her shoulder, where most of the soda hit. They were both aware of where this could go, one silently hoping that someday soon it would, the other not daring to contemplate it.

Done with her shoulders, Mike scrubbed Rachel's back, and her arms, her legs, all the way to her feet, avoiding any intimate areas, hoping she understood that he wasn't going to break his promise. When he was done, he passed her the washcloth wordlessly and shampooed her hair, massaging her head tenderly.

She scrubbed her front quickly and threw the washcloth aside, eager to enjoy the scalp massage he was performing, and closed her eyes. Moaning in appreciation, she let out a whimper. No amount of making out she'd ever had with Finn, Jesse, or even Puck, had ever brought her as much pleasure as this simple act, as much intimacy as his innocent touch, as much love as this mundane gesture. Lust was never an adequate adversary to love, and the carnal desire any of those boys ever stirred up in her, couldn't match up to the tenderness in her heart for Mike.

"please hold me." she asked simply, no ulterior motive evident nor existent. Mike's heart swelled at the simple request, but he knew he couldn't.

"I'm sorry, love." he whispered. "I'll wait outside until your done, I can't really go to the other bathroom in this state." He blushed, then left the bathroom.

_Wow. How did I get this lucky? _Rachel sighed, and proceeded to wash off all the lather, and conditioned her hair before rinsing out one last time and towelling off. _I just hope I can last as long as it takes, because it's becoming harder and harder to hold back._

Dressed in her bathrobe, she stepped into her bedroom, and locked gazes with Mike. His eyes clouded over with emotion for a moment, but he jumped into the bathroom before anyone could attempt a word.

Rachel started to get dressed, putting on a pair of short and a tank top, not bothering with underwear because she never slept in those anyways, when Santana strolled casually into her room. "Hey there, Ray-ray. Having fun?" Santana teased, knowing the tiny brunette would never tell.

"Actually, Tanny, yes I am. Thank you so much for being the amazing friend you are." Rachel hugged the cheerleader and bounced off downstairs.


	8. Author's NotePlea COOKIES

Hello Lovely Readers!

I am sorry, it may appear that I am trolling, but I have undergone MASSIVE life changes in the past few months, which I shall blame for my lack of updates. I now have a very erratic connection, so I suppose in my free time I should be able to write my fingers off and upload and keep you happy, right?

But I shall be selfish :D

I make a plea for a dedicated, patient, AWESOME beta...but I have a few criteria that is vital to the position at the moment...said beta will be heavily rewarded in love, gratitude, first peeks at my work...and maybe, cookies.

Beta will not need to be a major fan of any of the fandoms I subscribe to, but need to have an open mind, and be accessible by either Facebook, MSN messenger, or BlackBerry Messenger. (Actually, the last two are the ones I can transfer files on, but I have regular access to FB)

Also, biggest reason I make this plea for Beta is because I am working on an original piece that I have high hopes for, but I need someone who has good taste to judge it so I know just how much hope I should invest in it.

I plan on uploading/updating once a week from now on, at least one of my stories, plus a one-shot occasionally, but I reiterate my beta plea. I needs a muse. Dust bunnies don't generate much in the ways of plots. KikiMunster will be much appreciative. Thank you, and goodnight. *takes a bow*


End file.
